The golden ticket

Friday feeling ... Royal wedding day will be a national holiday

PRINCE William and Kate Middleton will invite members of the public to their April 29 wedding by holding a Willy Wonka-style "Golden Ticket" draw.

Around 100 lucky winners will get to rub shoulders with royals and heads of state at the historic Westminster Abbey service.

And they will also be invited to raise a toast to the future king and his queen at the lavish reception, expected to be held at Buckingham Palace.
The Royal couple were yesterday said to be "over the moon - on cloud nine" after the date and venue of their big day was officially announced.

And Britain is ready for a nationwide knees-up after being given a holiday on Friday April 29 to celebrate the wedding.
With Easter the week before and May Day the next Monday, it means Brits will have eight days off in 11.
The exact method of picking which lucky members of the public are to join the Royal shindig has still to be worked out.

People's Prince ... William wants ordinary folk involved in his special day

But it will be completely at random - just like Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket draw in Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
A source close to the St James's Palace planning committee revealed: "William and Kate wanted the British people involved at a deeper level than simply holding street parties.
"They were crystal clear on this from the outset and were delighted when the idea of a random selection was mooted.
"Those lucky enough to land an invitation will only find out when it drops on their door mat.
"Can you imagine? It's like winning a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket for your front-row seat in history."
The winners will have to comply to a strict dress code and will face a full security check.
But once given the OK they will get an "access all areas" invitation.
The source went on: "The fortunate few will become the envy of their neighbourhood.

Shoulders

"They will rub shoulders with royalty and world leaders - what a thing to tell your grandchildren."
William, 28, and his brother Prince Harry, 26, have asked members of the public to join them for public events in the past.
In October 2008, they invited 100 servicemen, many wounded, to the premiere of James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace.
But the wedding day will be party time for the rest of the country, too.
Downing Street swiftly confirmed there would be a public holiday to celebrate the occasion on the day of the wedding, Friday April 29.
And because the following Monday is the May Day bank holiday it will create a four-day break.

Abbey habit ... Westminster is a Royal wedding favourite

But for some canny workers there is an 11-day holiday up for grabs.
With Good Friday on April 22 and Easter Monday on April 25 there are only three working days before the royal break, the weekend and May Day bank holiday.
Workers were yesterday already booking the midweek days off to extend their leave for as long as possible.
Holiday home operator Haven even launched a special ten-night Royal Wedding package at its 35 parks - complete with big screens for guests to watch the couple marry on TV.

Mum's the word ... Queen Mother weds at Westminster in 1923

After confirming the bank holiday, PM David Cameron said: "The wedding of Kate and William will be a happy and momentous occasion.
"We want to mark the day as one of national celebration, a public holiday will ensure the most people possible will have a chance to celebrate."
William's Private Secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton described it as "a proper celebration for the nation and for the Realms."

Gran approves ... the Queen chose Westminster for her 1947 ceremony

He added: "The world will be watching on April 29 and the couple are very, very keen indeed that the spectacle should be a classic example of what Britain does best."
William and Kate, 28, made up their minds on Friday about the date but delayed an announcement so Government advisers could make sure there were no problems.
The couple were determined to have a spring wedding on a Friday and - by complete chance - their chosen date fell on the festival of St Catherine of Siena.
They didn't want to stage it in Lent and other royal commitments in May and June ruled out those months.
Among the guests are expected to be a host of world leaders including US President Barack Obama.
The service is set to be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Mr Lowther-Pinkerton said William and Kate were thrilled that plans for their big day were moving along so well.
He said: "The couple are completely over the moon. I've never seen two happier people.
"They're on cloud nine like any other newly-engaged couple."
But some business leaders expressed concern about the extended absence from work.
Stephen Alambritis, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "It will be a three-day week and it could see businesses shut down."

The church

By EMILY NASH
WILLIAM and Kate's big day will echo the state marriage ceremonies of the Queen and the Queen Mother, who both wed at Westminster Abbey.
The couple are expected to add personal touches, but the proceedings will be steeped in pomp and tradition - at the venue where Wills' mum Princess Diana's funeral took place in 1997.

William is expected to arrive, as did grandfather Prince Philip, at the Poets' Corner entrance to the right of the altar. He will be followed by the Queen.
Kate will arrive at the Abbey's west entrance in Her Majesty's procession from Buckingham Palace. Once inside, Kate's bridesmaids, led by sister Pippa, will join her from St George's Chapel to the right of the entrance as she walks down the aisle with dad Michael.
The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla and the Middleton family will sit closest to the altar in the 1,000-year-old Abbey's Sacrarium.
British and European royal family members, politicians, statesmen, friends, relatives and celebs will sit each side of the nave and in the choir stalls.
The French Gothic Abbey also saw William I crowned King in 1066.
The Queen was a princess when she exchanged vows there with Prince Philip, then Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, in 1947, and was crowned in the Abbey in 1953.
In 1923, her father Prince Albert wed Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon there. They became George VI and the Queen Mum.

The Best Man

EXCLUSIVE by JAMES CLENCH

'Emotional day' ... Harry

PRINCE Harry will stand alongside his brother as best man.
William's choice will seal the tight bond between the siblings - formed in the wake of their mum's death.
One Royal source said last night: "It will be an incredibly emotional day for Harry as well as William.
"They will both be thinking about how proud Princess Diana would be if she had lived to see this wedding. People sometimes forget what those boys have been through. William couldn't have chosen anyone else."
Tradition dictates the bridegroom picks another pal on top of Harry to form his "Supporters" - the posh royal name for a best man.
Prince Charles went for Prince Andrew and Prince Edward when he tied the knot with Di in 1981.
The source explained: "William is very much his own man. He is undecided if he will go for another Supporter or who that will be."
If the Prince does opt for two, Harry, 26, is likely to share the job with William's oldest pal Thomas van Straubenzee.

The date

KATE Middleton will wed her Prince on the feast day of the saint that shares her name - St Catherine of Siena.
The patron saint of firefighters and the struggle against sexual temptation refused to wed and starved herself to death in 1347 at the age of 33.
William and Kate will also share a wedding anniversary with Adolf Hitler.
He married Eva Braun on April 29, 1945 in his secret bunker, with Joseph Goebbels and Martin Bormann as witnesses.
Dachau concentration camp was liberated on the same day.
Hitler and Braun died in a suicide pact the following day.

Birthday

Celebrating his birthday that day will be conspiracy theorist "son of God" David Icke.
Closer to home, April 29, 1986 was the day Wallis Simpson was buried alongside her husband, King Edward VIII, at Frogmore in Windsor.
The big day next year is also shared with the third annual worldwide Save The Frogs Day.
The couple must also compete for the nation's attention with the start of the National Association of Head Teachers' annual conference.
They may struggle to get a band for their reception - as the European Brass Band Championships start in Switzerland.
There's also the Upton Upon Severn Riverside Folk Festival in Worcestershire, as well as the Bristol Folk Festival (line-up to be confirmed).

The dress

Daniella Helayel ... tipped

THE bride's dress is expected to be a classic couture gown with a modern twist - and two designers are the bookies' favourites to get the coveted commission.
Brazilian-born Daniella Helayel and London-based Philippa Lepley are both being tipped.
Lepley, 41, who opened her first shop in Chelsea in 1990, has built a reputation for elegant, but simple gowns, with designs from the couture range starting at £5,000.
Last night, Ladbrokes had her as 6/4 favourite, having been backed from 10/1, including a £2,500 bet by an unknown punter in Brighton.
Helayel was 4/1, with Elizabeth Emanuel 7/1, Amanda Wakeley 10/1, and fellow British designers Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Bruce Oldfield and Jasper Conran all at 14/1.

The songs

Fun ... Wills at gig

MUSIC at the wedding reception is likely to include the couple's favourite song - I Like the Way (You Move) by duo the BodyRockers.
But they will stick to classical music and wedding marches for the Abbey reception.
William may want his mother's favourite song I Vow To Thee My Country. Hymns could include Praise My Soul the King of Heaven, sung at the weddings of the Queen and Queen Mother.
Kate and William are thought to want a public concert in Hyde Park - with stars such as Sir Elton John, who sang at Princess Diana's funeral.
Sir Tom Jones has offered his services.
Other names mentioned include Take That, Lily Allen, Joss Stone and rappers Kanye West and P Diddy.

The weather

IT could be a white wedding in more ways than one - with April SNOW, experts said last night.
They warned that the month is notoriously unreliable. Forecaster Aisling Creevey said: "It's been known to snow in April - but we have had temperatures in the 80s."
Long range forecasters said there was a less
than 20 per cent chance of a rain shower on the big day.